Posted on 04/17/2008 10:17:44 AM PDT by Red Badger
WASHINGTON (AP) — Smart USA has no plans to offer a diesel-powered version of its Fortwo micro car in the United States, the division's president said Wednesday.
Dave Schembri of Smart USA said the gasoline alternative has not been in its plans because strict regulations in the U.S. would make it difficult to sell a diesel car in all 50 states.
"We tried to get the right mix between performance and fuel economy and the diesel engine doesn't provide the kind of performance, I think, that would meet the expectations of the U.S. consumer," Schembri said at a luncheon of the Washington Automotive Press Association.
Smart is currently developing a gas-electric hybrid vehicle and testing electric vehicles in London that could be available in the fleet within the next three years, he said.
Smart, a division of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand, began selling the 8-foot, 8-inch cars in the U.S. in January. The 1,800-pound car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway.
Schembri said Smart has received more than 30,000 reservations for the vehicle, with customers putting down $99 to reserve a car. The company has not released production numbers for the year.
He said the average wait for a Fortwo is about a year, although the amount of time can vary depending on the region of the country. When someone reserves a vehicle online, they can check the Smart Web site 24 hours later to receive an estimate of when the car will be delivered.
"We're doing the best we can to meet demand, however, quality is far more important than quantity," he said.
Seventy of Smart's planned 74 dealerships in the U.S. have opened and the remaining dealerships will be operational later this year, Schembri said.
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On the Net:
Smart USA: http://www.smartusa.com
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Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.....
If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST just FReepmail me.....
This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....
THEY ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE...........
SMARTCAR No KnOcK!.............
If I want "performance" out of a car... I'll go buy a high end sports car and fill it with premium gas.
We, once again, are held hostage to the California ASSembly, among others.......
A Smart Car passed me on the way to Boulder the other day. It looked like the driver was riding a roller skate with a cab.
That really isn't THAT great of improvement in mpg for driving a beefed up go-kart..
And would likely not fair much better in an accident.
Precisely! The mfrs have abandoned the “low end” market, to our detriment, in favor of BIG ticket items like SUV, and big HP tire burners. I know they make more on those items than they would on a small efficient sedan or coupe. But the Japanese, Koreans, Europeans, Chinese and the Indians are ready to do a second invasion of the foreign compact automobile with diesel this time around.........SMARTCAR USA seems to be not so SMART............
You might as well buy a bicycle then, because that thing can barely get out of its own way, let alone climb a hill with a sack of groceries.
Or a horse.
That's the other thing that stinks about the Smart Car. 33 mpg is what my 2007 Civic EX gets. You can get even better mileage with a Yaris for about the same price as a Smart Car.
I saw one of these on I-75 in Central Kentucky over a month ago....going 65+ mph....and speed limit was 70.
Not impressed. We averaged 40 driving from Flagstaff to Albuquerque yesterday, 65-70 mph all the way in a Subaru Outback Sport.
It does not mean the car is incapable of going 70 mph. I see many SUVs driving below the speed limit on the roads I drive, I am not going to conclude they are incapable of traveling at the speed limit.
Well neither would a motorcycle, yet nobody objects to people riding motorcycles.
My brother and I are both big guys, who don’t fit well inside these tiny cars. Take a look at how large people are getting here and they could make a killing by building a small car just a little bit bigger with room enough inside for big people.
How many two seaters do you see running around that could take an overweight person comfortably? Th first eco car that comes out with the design of the VW bug, a tad wider seat and they could market them to a huge percentage of drivers that no one is looking at right now.
Funny you mention that... I saw a Smart Car at a local grocery store. The town in which we live is very hilly... Somehow I think this person manages.
Or a horse.
We've already seen how growing fuel for vehicles is a bad idea. A horse requires far more fuel than most cars.
I agree. I would not buy this car either.
Fuel Economy is an element of performance, just like 0-60 times. For some people, it is a more important element than the "zoom-zoom".
I’d say with a standard engine on such a tiny body, the power-to-weight ratio of a Smart car might be more than normal-sized cars.
If you need to fit a large body in a small car, take a look at the Scion xB. I have a 2006 and a 2007, and they fit me just fine. I can even sit comfortably in the back seat!
A normal car designed to seat 4-5 occupants, probably has less space per vehicle than the Smart car, which is designed for one.
Oops, make that less space per passenger.
Agree, it really needs to get closer to 50mpg to distinguish itself from much bigger more useful vehicles.
For the $11,590.00 base price, I can put a LOT of gas in my 69 VW Bug. And more than two people!!!
A horse requires far more fuel than most cars.
LOL! Yeah, that hay is priced through the roof. Thanks for the chuckle. :)
When they market the SMART in Europe, it’s not on MPG. It’s on the fact that it’s dead practical in European cities that aren’t built primarily for cars (narrow streets, on-street parking etc). The US doesn’t have that issue in the same extent, I think. Your cities and suburbs are generally built more recently and with cars much more in mind.
We used to have one as a company car at an old job. Sure, it’s a little frazzling on the free-way but in the city it shines. It’s even short enough to park vertical to the curb on ordinary city streets where I live.
Just like a go cart is. Why not adapt one of those?
Thanks, do you like them?
My wife’s diesel Jetta TDI gets 35 mpg city and 43 mpg highway seats four adults comfortably with a trunk large enough to carry luggage for all passengers for a weekend trip. I think any one who buys a Smart car is just plane dumb.
Not very impressive -- my 1996 Honda Civic hatchback got actual 44mpg on the highway when new, and probably still gets at least 40mpg.
unless you must park in a shoebox, why not just buy a Yaris?
roomier, better MPG, cheaper.
Lawn-mower engine.
Engine inside Smart.
The “deuce-and-a-half” I drove in the army had less than a hundred horse power, and it got around pretty well with quite a load.
One of their ‘dealerships’ opened in Tukwila (just south of Seattle) not too long ago. I went in and sat down in one.
Understand...I’m 5’8” and 280 pounds. I am not a samll person. I had plenty of room, even on the sides. I didn’t feel cramped at all. Visibility was good, controls were place intelligently. My only glitch came with where they placed the ignition...on the center console next to your right hip, behind the grearshift.
If I had the money, and the time to wait to get one (8-12 months after you order it, according to the salesperson), I’d get one. I just need a commuter car, I don’t need 4 seats, and I’m not particularly worried about getting crunched by a semi or someone in an SUV or full-sized truck.
Yes, they may look funny, but I wouldn’t mind owning one.
I love them. I needed a car when my old Volvo 240 finally died, and the Scion xB it was a very comfortable car for me at the price I wanted to pay. Every other reasonably priced car was just too small and too low for me to be comfortable.
When my wifes even-older Volvo 240 finally died six months later, she liked my car so much, we bought another one just like it! Now we switch them back and forth every year to keep the milage and wear-and-tear even.
41mpg is pretty sad for such a small car.
If you are not an inner-city resident I fail to see the point.
I owned a horse for years and will call your bluff on that statement! Do you have any figures to back up your claim?
My sister had a regular compact car that got 40 mpg highway, why on earth would anybody buy this joke?
The dirty little secret is despite all the left wing Euro loving weenies, the US has stricter pollution rules for all cars.
That really isn't THAT great of improvement in mpg for driving a beefed up go-kart..
I drive a 1980 TR7, 2.0L 4 cyl 5 sp manual. It has a good power to weight ratio and gets 37 MPG(sometimes as high as 40)on the highway and about 30 MPG around town. So your assessment is right on.
The old VW beetle with its 4 cyl air-cooled engine, very inefficient, got about as much as this smart car is getting, and you could put 4 people into it.
Of course any small car has about as much chance as a snowball in he** of maintaining really good mileage in the States, or having a really low price, due to our enviro laws, particularly those of CA.
the 1983 version supposedly got 42/54 MPG
I saw one this morning on my way to work. Man, it was tiny.
I would have to ride a horse 50 miles a day every day to and from work. How much food would I need to feed it? Food isn't cheap anymore.
When I was in Germany last month, they were everywhere. The German engineers I hung out with thought smart owners were "idiots".
The REAL smart owners were the ones driving 10 year old Diesel Mercedes Benz sedans they bought cheap used and get similar MPG to a smart for less money.
My 4 door Civic averages 38 MPG, mostly highway driving. For such a small car you do not get much bang in terms of increased mileage.
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